Mr John F. Nash Jr, an American mathematician who won the 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics, was killed on May 23, along with his wife, in a car crash in New Jersey. He was the subject of a book and a film, both titled A Beautiful Mind. For the greater part of his 86 years, he suffered from schizophrenia.

Mr Nash developed schizophrenia when he was 30 and, by then, he was celebrated as one of the mathematical geniuses of his time.

What followed this meteoric rise was a descent that was both precipitous and protracted. He started hearing voices and believed he was being spied on, and that his career was being ruined by aliens.

As in most cases of untreated schizophrenia, Mr Nash was incapacitated for decades. His condition began to improve when he was in his 50s.

He decided to "intellectually reject some of the delusionally influenced lines of thinking".

What helped significantly in his recovery was the support of family, friends and colleagues - and a wife who stood staunchly by him and provided a safe haven while he was ill. Therein lies an important aspect in the rehabilitation of someone with schizophrenia.